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Chapter 9
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The king kept on staring at me as I desperately tried to remember what Cora had taught me. This was not a simple dinner, this was a test and I was about to fail it. I could not recall what piece of cutlery was used with what dish, where I was supposed to lay my napkin, or how I had to address the people around me, especially the king.
"Are you comfortable in the room I gave you?" He asked as the servants poured wine into our glasses.
His voice drew me out of my worries.
"Yes," I replied curtly, before taking a sip from my glass.
I didn't normally like the taste of wine, but I was nervous, and maybe a little alcohol would help ease my nerves or help me remember my lessons.
The first dish arrived and I had no idea what piece of cutlery to ta
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I woke up in a bad mood, I wanted to go home and forget I ever knew this place. Cora misinterpreted my moody behavior as annoyance because I had not spent more time with the king the night before. She was so wrong! She was so devoted to the king that she thought everyone felt the same way. In her mind, it was impossible for someone not to love him as much as she did, so, of course, she had no clue about my real feelings for Gregory.We continued with the lessons, this time I put more attention, I did not want to go through what I did the night before and forget everything I learned under pressure. Cora appreciated my extra effort.After the lessons were over, Arlene and Sadie brought more dresses for me, it seemed like their only goal in life was to sew. I enjoyed their visits, apart from Cora, they were my only distractions.
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Hours later, when Cora brought my breakfast, I told her about what I had witnessed. My maid’s face blushed as I spoke, so I immediately guessed that she knew exactly who that woman was.“We should not speak about unpleasant matters…” Cora whispered as she picked up the tray to leave the room.Desperate to know what was happening, I did something I had never done before.“Tell me what you know, Cora, it is an order from your future queen,” I stated firmly.Using my power in such a way made me feel dirty but I had no choice, I had to know who that woman was. Cora sighed, aware that she had no choice but to tell me.“Her name is Constance Labelle, she is married to the kingdom’s doctor. Believe
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 12
The morning of my coronation, I was strangely calm. Thinking about what was going to happen step by step helped me not to lose my mind. Cora had explained to me in detail everything that was going to happen: first I was going to be crowned in a formal ceremony here at the castle, then I was going to go out in a carriage through the streets of Dranda so people could see their new queen, after that I was coming back to the castle to have a big celebration with the members of the court, the party was going to last all day and at midnight there was going to be fireworks. The idea of having an entire kingdom celebrating me was intimidating but at the same time made me feel proud. For the first time in my life, I felt special.I made sure I looked impeccable more than ten times before leaving my room, Cora accompanied me to the antechamber of the room where the coronation ceremony was going to take place and there we waited patiently f
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 13
Once at the castle, we went to the ballroom, where our select guests had already begun to celebrate without us. We could hear the music and laughter even before entering.People started clapping as we came in, everyone’s sight was fixed on me. They were analyzing every aspect of me, my dress, my hair, the way I moved and smiled. Their scrutiny was overwhelming but I did my best to remain calm.Instead of approaching me as I expected, the people in the ballroom started to form a line. Gregory took me by the waist and led me to a seat at the side of the room where the line started. I then remembered that Cora had explained to me that people were going to bring me many presents to show me their appreciation for their new monarch. So they were going to introduce themselves at the same time they were giving me a present.
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 14
It was time for dinner and I had to sit next to Gregory at the enormous rectangular table.“Are you having fun?” He asked while stroking my hair."I guess," I replied without enthusiasm shrugging my shoulders.“You guess? Wow, do not be afraid to hurt my feelings. I mean, I just spent the last few weeks planning every detail of this party so that everything would be perfect, not a big deal,” he commented sarcastically.I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and said nothing.The knights and their families sat at the table with us. While everyone was chatting with each other, I just ate in silence and listen to their conversations. No one at the table seemed to be offended by Gregory's jokes and sarcastic remarks, everyone treated their king with great affecti
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After the fireworks, we went back to the ballroom. Gregory seemed to be having a lot of fun and the party continued until dawn, I felt very tired, my eyes were involuntarily closing and my head ached as a result of wearing the heavy crown since morning.Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder.“I am so sorry, I have been truly inconsiderate. I did not think you were so tired. Come on, let me take you to your bedroom.”Gregory offered me his arm and announced to everyone that we were leaving. The guests that remained bowed as we left the room. As soon as the doors of the ballroom were closed, Gregory lifted me in his arms as if I were light as a feather."This is not necessary... I can walk," I said nervously."Nonsense, you were yawning so much everyone could see your insides," he joked with a smug smile. “I do not wan
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I woke up feeling excited, this was my first day as queen. I did not know what to expect, I got up early despite staying up late the night before. I walked to the balcony and stared at my garden, wondering what the day had in store for me.Cora came into the room with my breakfast and helped me get dressed. I decided to wear a navy blue dress and the pearl necklace that Norton and Mary Terese Caldwell gave me at the coronation.Once I was ready, Cora led me to the Queen's Hall. As Gregory had explained to me, that room was the place where I would attend to my affairs. Many people would come to visit me and ask for things from me, they would try to win my sympathy so that when the king denied them something I would support them and persuade him to change his mind. My poor subjects had no idea that it was useless, I had no influence over my husband and I would never have it. I was just anot
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That afternoon I received a most welcome visit: Margaret Lewis. We met in a small room next to the Queen's Hall. It was an intimate place where we could not be disturbed and only Cora was allowed to enter. We sat down around a small round table adorned with flowers."Did you have a good first day, Your Majesty?” she asked as Cora served us tea.“I do not think ‘good’ is the right word to describe it,” I replied evasively.I did not feel like talking about Fiona's accusations. Either way, Margaret and the rest of Dranda would soon find out what had happened. I was sure the witness would take care of spreading the news across the kingdom soon enough.We talked for a while about different topics, about the kingdom, the coronation, and about Margaret's daughter, Carmen. Margaret
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The light of the fireplace reflected on Gregory’s perfect body and on mine, although I was only looking at him. My husband was lying on the rug by the fireplace next to me, we were both exhausted and overjoyed to be back home.We were finally at peace, the Trobetians were defeated, Anthony was Lorene’s new king, Queen Kendalia and Constance Labelle had been made prisoners and they could not hurt us anymore.Gregory rested her chin on the palm of his left hand, while he brought his right toward me. Gently, he placed his fingertips on my belly and began to move them over my skin almost barely touching me. A half smile spread across his face as his gaze followed the direction of his hand. My skin prickled at his brush. He then took my waist and draw me towards him. I placed my hand on his shoulder and kissed him.
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 56
I was dumbstruck looking at Gregory in the distance. I held my breath, as if I feared that breathing the image of him would vanish. Waves of different emotions attacked me at the same time, I felt my heart overflowing with joy, but my stupefaction prevented me from moving or even speaking."You are the spitting image of your father…" Sable Morgan muttered, his face contorted by shock."Let her go and I will show you that I am nothing like my father," Gregory threatened.“So you finally decided to confront me,” Sable Morgan asked, narrowing his eyes.“No, I'm not here to confront you, I'm here to kill you,” Gregory replied firmly.“You can certainly, Gregory Dominis," Sable Morgan said with a smirk.“Let go of Addison first. Then we'll settle thing between us, I'll even make you believe for a momen
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 55
I walked in circles inside the tiny cell I was kept in. I wanted to tear down to walls to escape or at least I wanted to find a way to contact Gregory to tell him that he had to choose Dranda over me. I knew that meant I would die, but I did not care as long as the kingdom was saved, I was not going to be able to live with myself knowing Dranda fell because of me.Something gave me hope, my uncle said that my cousin Anthony was the one leading the Lerene army and I knew he was nothing like his father, maybe Anthony would refuse to attack Dranda if my brothers manage to contact him beforehand. I did not really care about what would happen to me, as long as everyone I loved was safe.A couple of days went by, I tried to find a way to escape my prison but it was impossible. On the third day, the warden dragged me out of the c
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 54
During the next few days, Edward and Andrew helped Gregory plan the attack against Lerene. I was overjoyed to have my brothers here with me, I finally felt like I had everything in this world. Even though I was so happy, part of me was afraid of the war that was coming, I feared that I might lose one of my brothers or my husband but I tried not to think much about it and instead concentrate on the present and how happy I was to have them here with me.Since Edward and Andrew spent a lot of time with Gregory and the knights making strategies and talking about the war that was coming, I had a lot of free time in my hands. It was not that they did not invite me to their meetings, they did but I did not wish to be part of them because every time they talked about attacks and military strategies I got anxious thinking that the life of the men I loved was going to be at risk.
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(Addison’s P.O.V.)My husband stayed by my side the whole following week, little by little my strength came back and I was able to get out of bed with help.“It is time to appear before the kingdom. I already feel strong enough to show myself in public,” I declared as soon as I was able to get out of bed.“You are just winning a battle against death and all you can think of is the welfare of the people. This kingdom does not deserve you, and neither do I,” said Gregory while his eyes reflected the love he felt for me.“It is too late, I am the only queen they have,” I said, smiling. “Help me, I need to look presentable.”Gregory and Cora assisted me to get dressed and fix my hair, it was impossible to fight my paleness and my obvious loss of weight, but they tried hard to make me look as hea
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(Addison’s POV)I had almost no strength to stay awake, but I could not sleep either. Despite the fact that my physical pain was practically unbearable, any discomfort in my body languished compared to the sadness in my heart. I always knew that my uncle and aunt were not nice people, but I never imagined what they were capable of. The idea of my brothers being killed was too much to bear. I had to cling to something to cope with the pain that overwhelmed me, that something was my kingdom. The people of Dranda were terrified believing that the Trobetians had murdered me, and I was not going to allow these disgusting beings to break the will of my people.I did not know what time it was when I opened my eyes, the light was bright, streaming through the closed curtains. I found Gregory sitting in an armchair next to my bed, fast asleep. My handsome husband was not his normal self, his face was
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 51
(Gregory POV)It was dusk again, my eyes stung from lack of sleep. Tiredness made it impossible for me to think clearly. Cora begged me to go to sleep, but I did not want to be away from Addison for even a second.At midnight, I closed my eyes for a moment because I could no longer bear the stinging, I dozed off until a weak voice brought me back from sleep:“Gregory… I am afraid, I don't want to die.”Addison's voice was harsh and weak, but it was her. In a second I was totally conscious and I took her hand in mine. My beautiful wife was pale and almost lifeless. Although her eyes were as beautiful as ever, they did not shine. Addison squeezed my hand weakly, she barely had the strength to stay conscious. I kissed her hands and her forehead, tears of happiness escaped my eyes.“Do not be afraid, my love, everything wil
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 50
(Gregory’s POV)Maurice was with Addison for hours. Norton and Tucker waited beside me to show me their support. I was so worried I thought I was going to loose my mind.Maurice came out after a while.“Your Majesty, the queen has regained consciousness for a few moments, it seems that the antidote is helping her to resist, but it is too early to be able to ensure her survival. I am afraid there is not much more I can do at the moment,” the doctor explained. “I will be back soon and apply another dose,” Maurice declared.“Leave me alone, please,” I asked without turning to see the knights, my gaze was fixed on Addison's door.“Let's get out of here and give the king some privacy,” Tucker said. “I will take care of the kingdom, Your Majes
His Majesty's Forced Bride Chapter 49
(Gregory’s POV)I felt sick, I could not believe Addison had betrayed me this way. I thought she was the woman of my dreams, I was so in love with her I never thought she would be capable of trying to murder me. Lerene was going to pay for this, I was going to destroy King Adolf and his kingdom, I would not rest until I had obliterated their existence from this earth… Addison was a different story, I had no idea what to do about that. I knew she was a traitor and she did not deserve my compassion, I should send her back to Lerene and let her perish with everyone else, but I could not. I did want to part from her… I was too weak to let her out of my life. “What do you want to do, Your Majesty?” Tucker inquired since it had been several minutes since I last spoke.“I do not know…
